Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:13:48 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - book 3, chapters 33 - 34

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 33 -- Kevin Learns a Lesson.                    

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

Later that evening, while I was preparing dinner, Dustin came up and asked
me a question.  "Dad, will you take us to the park again tonight?"

"Is everyone going to go?" I wondered.

"No, we're not going to ask Kevin to go this time," he informed me.

"That's kind of harsh and not very nice," I commented.  "I expect better of
you than that."

"But he ruined the game last night and no one wants him to do that again,"
Dustin explained, and I could see his point.

"Couldn't you just tell him that and then let him decide if he really wants
to play then?" I suggested, not wanting to inflame the situation any more
than it already was.

"No, because he's not talking to anyone," Dustin offered.

"Couldn't you try?" I hinted.

"I could, but I'm not sure that I want to," Dustin told me.  "He's been
acting like a jerk for a few days now and I don't think anyone wants
anything to do with him right now."

"What if you were the one who wanted to be included now, and not have to
wait until later?" I asked, trying to get him to put himself in Kevin's
shoes.  "Do you think you'd have reacted differently?"

"Yes, I do," Dustin admitted, forcefully.  "I know this can't be easy for
him, but he doesn't have to act like an ass and ruin things for everyone
else just because of it.  He spoiled our game last night and we don't want
to give him another chance to do it again."

"And everyone feels the same way?" I pressed, wondering if this had been
discussed and was a unanimous decision.

"Yes, EVERYONE!" Dustin assured me.

"Well, as badly as I feel for Kevin, I do realize he brought this upon
himself," I conceded.  "Maybe it will make him realize what he's done,
especially after he realizes how strongly you all feel about this."

Having said that, I agreed to take them later, so Dustin went off to tell
the other boys.  When dinner was announced, Kevin came down to eat and then
went right back up to his room.  The other boys went out and got into the
van and I drove them down to pick up Jay again, before leaving them off at
the field.  I told them I'd return later to pick them up, but seeing they
had even numbers tonight, they wouldn't need me to play this time.

When I arrived back home, Kevin was sitting on the front porch, crying his
eyes out.  Seeing him like that broke my heart, so I went over to give him
a hug and try to comfort him a little.  At first, he started to pull away
from me, so I prepared to leave him alone and simply go inside, but he
spoke before I could move away.

"How come you still like me?" he asked.  "Nobody else does."

"I'll always love you, Kevin.  I just don't like the way you're acting
right now," I told him.  "Do you want to talk about it?"  He merely nodded
and buried his head into my chest.  After a few minutes of having a good
cry, Kevin sat up and looked at me.

"I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk, but it's just that getting my license
is important to me," he offered, in his own defense.

"I know it is.  It's important to a lot of kids your age," I agreed, "but
sometimes we have to wait for the things we want.  Not everything can be
provided for you instantly.  You know, if you continued this much longer, I
was ready to call off your birthday celebration.  I wasn't about to throw
you a party, if you were going to be such a miserable guest of honor."

"You were really going to do that?" he asked, with a look of shock and
horror plastered across his face.  He thought about what I'd just said for
a few seconds more, before he continued.  "Well, I guess I couldn't have
blamed you if you had.  I was pretty awful, wasn't I?  Everybody else hates
me now, don't they?"

"No, Kevin, they don't hate you," I assured him, "they're just upset about
how you ruined their game last night.  That's why they didn't want to give
you a chance to do it again."

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?" he asked, deeply hurt at being
ostracized by the brothers he loved so much.

"Sure, I think they will, if you tell them you're sorry," I suggested.

"Can I ride down with you, when you go to pick them up?" he asked.  "That
way I can apologize to Jay too."

"Sure, I don't have a problem with that," I announced.  "Do you want to
come in and spend time with the old man until it's time to go?"

"Yeah, thanks, Dad," he replied.  "I'm sorry I was such a baby about
everything."

"You know, I haven't seen that big a temper tantrum in a long time," I
informed him, "but it brought back some memories," I added, as I hugged him
to me.

"None of them good, though.  Right?" he pressed.

"Right.  But your tantrum had to be one of the best yet," I announced, as I
wanted to leave a lasting impression with him.

Kevin looked at me stunned for a second, before I flashed him a big smile.
When he figured out I wasn't really upset with him any longer, he smiled
back.

"I'm already feeling bad enough," he told me, "you didn't have to make it
worse."

"Then you shouldn't act like the wrong end of a horse and I wouldn't be
able to."  I don't think he expected that particular response from me and
gave me another shocked look.  I hugged him and then he began to laugh.

"You don't like to pull any punches, do you?" he asked.  "I guess I
deserved that, though.  I really wanted my permit so badly that I just
didn't think about anything else.  I'm sorry about the things I did, Dad.
Will you please forgive me?"

"I already have," I told him, so he gave me a hug in return.

When the time came, we drove down to the park to pick everyone up.  Kevin
got out of the van first and went over to apologize to everyone, especially
Dustin.  Soon, Dustin was hugging him again and I could tell that everyone
else forgave Kevin too.  After the apologies were concluded, everyone got
in the van and we headed home.  All the boys played around together, once
we got back, and Dustin informed me he'd be sleeping back in with Kevin.  I
think we all slept well that evening.

The following day, around mid-morning, I got a call telling me our vehicles
were ready, so I talked my friend into picking me up, so I could drive each
of them home.  I brought the Suburban back first, parked it in the
driveway, and then got back into my friend's car, since he'd followed me
home on this trip.  Once we returned to the lot, I got ready to drive the
Grand Am home, but not until I thanked my friend for all of his help.  I
buckled up once more and made the final trip back home.

As I pulled in the driveway, all the boys, including Kevin, were checking
out the Suburban, crawling in and out as they inspected it.  They started
to wander over to the car, so they could inspect it too, and the older boys
took that opportunity to begin teasing me to take them out to practice.  To
their disappointment, I explained I had other things to do at the moment,
but would take them down to the school parking lot after dinner, so they
could all take a turn.  That idea seemed to satisfy them for the time
being, so I went into the house, while they continued to check out both
vehicles.

While I was doing some paperwork, taking care of the backlog of mail and
preparing for school to start again, the boys disappeared and entertained
themselves and each other.  Some went out to play kickball with the little
ones, while others went to their rooms to listen to music or read.  I was
just thankful they were willing to allow me some time alone, so I'd be able
to finish what I had to do.

As soon as dinner was over that evening, the trio began to pester me again,
about taking them out to practice their driving.  In the spirit of
reconciliation, Kevin volunteered to clean up the dinner dishes so we could
go sooner.  The others noticed and appreciated this fact, so we all thanked
him, but I also gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead before we left.

I drove the boys down to the school parking lot and then Dustin and I
switched seats, so he could drive first.  I went over the list of things
each of them should do each time before driving, like adjusting the seat,
putting on their seat belts, making sure the car is in the correct gear and
checking the mirrors to make sure they are adjusted appropriately, before
easing out into traffic, although there was none around us at the moment.
Dustin did fairly well for his first time, just having to be reminded to
take his foot a little further off the accelerator when he made a turn.
After about 30 minutes of practice, I had him stop and park the car, so he
and Danny could trade places.  Once they were back in the car and buckled
in, I told Danny he could begin.

Danny did even better than Dustin had done, having learned from some of the
instructions I had given to Dustin during his turn at the wheel.  I was
beginning to think we might not need to spend so much time in the parking
lot and might be able to get out for some street practice earlier than I
first anticipated.  My biggest complaint with Danny's performance was that
he was too nonchalant about gripping the steering wheel and tried to drive
with one hand, using a somewhat relaxed grip.  In order to get him to
understand why that was dangerous, I explained that if he hit a pothole, an
object in the road or had a tire blow out while driving in that manner, the
steering wheel could get ripped out of his hand and send his vehicle out of
control.  After my warning, he worked harder at using both hands and
maintained a slightly tighter grip on the wheel.  When his half hour was
up, he pulled over, changed seats with Brandon, and we began with our last
'student.'

Brandon took my advice to Danny about gripping the steering wheel tightly,
a little too seriously.  He had a death grip on the wheel and his knuckles
looked almost white from the lack of blood flowing to them.  This caused me
to worry that his hands would begin to cramp up or his arms would go numb
if he did this for very long.  Therefore, I had to convince him to relax
his grip a little before we started out.  Brandon seemed a little tense
behind the wheel, so I tried my best to calm him down.  When I told him to
take off, he stomped his foot down on the gas pedal, which sent all of us
slamming against our seats and caused the tires to squeal.  As he started
to ease off the gas, I asked him to stop, so I could tell him what he did
wrong.  Unfortunately, as he removed his foot from the gas pedal, he thrust
it against the brake pedal, sending us all flying in the opposite
direction.

Luckily, everyone was wearing a seatbelt, otherwise some of us might have
suffered facial injuries or lost a tooth or two during that episode.  After
we recovered and Brandon apologized for his mistakes, I told him it was all
right and explained that's why we were practicing, so each of them could
learn from their own and each other's mistakes.  To my grave
disappointment, the two in the rear weren't quite as merciful and began
ragging on him terribly.

"Danny, does he make those fast starts and stops in bed too?" Dustin
quipped.  "If he does, I'm amazed you haven't had to wear one of those
collars for whiplash."

"Nah, luckily he doesn't burn rubber when we make love," Danny replied,
"but his techniques can be just as aggressive.  I guess that's what makes
him a great lover and a lousy driver."

I could see Brandon was becoming embarrassed, and maybe even a little upset
by this banter, so I decided it was time to bring it to a halt.  "Okay, we
can either continue with the lessons or go back home and gossip about such
things," I interrupted, "but we're not going to do both at the same time.
In fact, if you two can't behave while I'm working with Brandon, then next
time I'll leave you home and just bring him.  The choice is yours."

Dustin and Danny quickly apologized for their snide remarks and promised to
keep their comments to themselves, so I prepared Brandon to try this again.
He was still slightly distracted thinking about his earlier performance and
the comments the others had made about him, as I tried to explain how to
gently apply pressure to the gas pedal when starting up and how to keep his
heel on the floor as he pushed down on the brake, and then gradually let up
as he the car came to a stop, so he wouldn't snap the passengers about as
he did so.  We practice this a few more times, and he did do much better on
his other attempts, so when his 30 minutes were up, he and I switched
places, so I could drive home.

When we arrived back at the house, some of the boys came out to meet us.
They asked how the practice had gone and Dustin and Danny began their
amusing account of Brandon's first effort.  Brandon took the ribbing
good-naturedly and even added some of his own embellishments to the story,
before getting his revenge.  That's when he and Danny began their account
of Dustin's cornering techniques, complete with the sound effects for
squealing tires and showing how their bodies slid in the seats.  After this
little bit of humor, Brandon and Dustin mimicked Danny's lackadaisical
driving method, with one hand held loosely on the wheel and the other arm
over the back of the seat.  After this amusing recounting of day one at the
'Currie Driving Academy', the boys all went in to clean up and relax for
the rest of the evening.

Saturday was a flurry of activity, as we prepared for Kevin's party.  I
wanted to make sure everything went well, especially after the disastrous
first part of the week we had together.  After lunch, Kevin, Dustin and I
got in the Suburban and drove off to pick up Kevin's old friends.  Kevin
had decided he was ready to make contact with those from his past life,
when he had still lived with his parents, and had asked if he could invite
them.  I readily agreed, so Kevin and Dustin got in touch with the boys and
made arrangements for them to come.  I had never met them before, but the
boys seemed happy to see Kevin and Dustin again.  It was quite a joyous
reunion, as the boys recounted tales of old adventures they'd had together
and joked about things they had done back then, before Kevin and Dustin had
moved away.  They kept this up nearly all the way back.

When we got to the house, Kevin asked if it would be possible to take
everyone to the school, so they could have a pick-up soccer game.  I agreed
and we squeezed all of the boys into the van.  It was a good thing it was
only a short trip, as it would have been very uncomfortable mashed together
like that on a longer ride.  When we arrived at the school athletic fields,
the boys eagerly pried themselves apart and got out of the van, before
spending more than an hour playing their game.  I sat and watched as they
raced about, passed the ball back and forth and took shots on goal.  After
about the first 20 or 30 minutes of this frantic pace, the four youngest
dropped out of the game and went to do other things.  This made the teams
smaller, but the level of competition picked up considerably, as the boys
played even harder, since they didn't have to worry about hurting the
younger boys.  It was one hell of a game and all of them were exhausted by
the time they finally stopped.

On the ride back, we noticed the boys smelled a bit ripe after that rough
workout, so when we got back to the house, I had my boys round up some
clothes that would fit our guests and then sent groups of young men to all
three showers to clean up.  Seeing most of these boys weren't gay and had
never fooled around with Kevin or Dustin, everyone took their shower alone.
It took a while to run all the boys through this process and it was a good
thing I have hot water heaters that recover quickly.  Once they'd all
finished showering, I threw their clothing into the washing machine, so
they'd have them to wear back home tomorrow.  After that, they went off to
entertain themselves, while I got things ready for the cookout.

Sally and the Shays would be arriving around 5:00, so we had to hurry to
get everything in order before they arrived.  Danny and Brandon helped me
get the grills started, since we started using two for such large
get-togethers, and they also helped me carry the food and other items out
to the picnic tables.  When Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve arrived,
we started putting the hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken on the grill.  The
other boys also helped take the salads out of the refrigerator and carried
them out to the tables as well.  We all chatted while the food was cooking,
and some of the boys were throwing a football around, while another group
was kicking the soccer ball back and forth.

When the meat was done, we called the boys in and watched nearly everything
disappear in the blink of an eye.  I was already working on a second round
of meat on the grills and the boys were snapping everything up almost as
soon as it hit the platter.  I went in and got more meat from the
refrigerator, throwing that on the grills next, but soon the boys started
to slow down on their eating and I finally was able to get something for
myself.  Eventually, we all ate our fill and then we sat around and
relaxed, deciding to wait an hour or so before we had the cake and ice
cream.  After a short rest, however, the boys went back to playing ball and
entertaining themselves.

Sally, Mary, Steve and I chatted for a while and then they offered to help
me clean up.  Although I told them it wasn't necessary and I had plenty of
help, they ignored me and began taking the remaining food and breakable
dishes back into the house.  Then they helped me carry out the presents,
cake and ice cream, so we'd be ready, once the boys finished playing their
game.

After the boys got tired, they joined us and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to
Kevin.  The boys still get embarrassed being the focal point of this little
tradition, but I still make them go through it.  Actually, I think they
secretly enjoy it, but their reaction is because of what their friends
might say or think about it.  Once we finished, I started serving the cake
and ice cream.

While this was going on, Kevin opened his gifts.  It was the usual
assortment of presents, until he came to the ones from the family.  He
unwrapped the first one and discovered a driver's manual and a copy of his
appointment to take his written test in January.  He simply held it up and
beamed, giving me a wink in the process.  Next, Kevin opened his big gift
from the family.  This gift idea had surprised me when he mentioned it a
few days ago, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it.  It was
a guitar and a couple of books on how to play, with the first one showing
him how to play nearly all of the major chords.  He beamed even more when
he saw this present and came over and hugged me.  I was a little startled
by this, as he was doing it in front of his old friends, who didn't
understand our closeness.  However, as he did it, he also whispered in my
ear.

"I'm really sorry I was such a jerk about the driving lessons earlier this
week," he told me.  "You're the best, Dad.  Thanks for everything."  I gave
him a hug back and then I sent him on his way.

After the party, Sally, Mary and Steve all said their good-byes to the boys
before they left.  They said farewell to Kevin as they passed through the
house, since he was inside trying to learn to play some chords on his
guitar, with the help of a couple of his old friends.  When he learned his
aunts and uncle were leaving, Kevin set his guitar down, so he could run
over and hug them all, but he also gave his aunts a kiss.  Once he
finished, I walked our visitors out and thanked them for coming.  I even
stayed and watched them pull away.  They truly are a valuable part of this
family.

As soon as it got dark, the boys went outside and horsed around for a
while, before coming back in to watch a video together.  I left the boys to
themselves and went to my room, so I could pack for my two-day trip to
visit Nick and his parents.  I would leave early Tuesday and return late
Wednesday, which would be just long enough to meet his mom and dad and get
to know them a little better.

Once the video finished, the boys got ready to go to sleep.  They spread
their sleeping bags out on the family room floor, as my boys went through
the house collecting pillows from the rooms not currently being used.  Most
of the boys slept in the family room, with Kevin and his guests, talking
late into the night and horsing around until the early morning hours.  I
waited a while, before I put into motion a little surprise I had laid out
earlier.

The family room had been added to the house long after the house had been
built and was merely a one-story structure that extended out from the
right-front side of the building.  Next to the family room was a large
tree, which had branches that extended over the roof of the family room.  I
had rigged a hefty branch onto one of those limbs, tied a piece of
clothesline to it and secured the rope outside the window in the downstairs
bathroom.  When the boys started calming down, I went into the bathroom and
pulled on the rope, which caused the branch to bang on the roof of the
family room.  I did it a few times and then went across the hall to my
bedroom.  As I did so, I heard a commotion in the family room.  At first it
was only some loud talking, but then some of them came running in the
foyer.  Finally, Kevin came bursting into my room, quite excited.  "Dad,
something is on the roof of the family room."

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"Because we heard banging up there," he stated simply.

I walked back to the family room with him and listened for a short time,
but heard nothing -- of course.  Then a few of the boys followed me
outside, as I checked around with my flashlight.  I made sure I didn't
shine the light on the rope, but the boys who followed me out helped me
investigate both sides of the family room's roof and we saw nothing.  The
boys quickly decided that whatever it was had now gone, so things went back
to normal.  I let them settle down for a while, before I went back into the
bathroom and did it again.  I barely got back to my room this time, before
a group of boys came running in, all excited.

"It happened again," someone yelled.  "Something's out there."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Something pounding on the roof in there.  It banged real loud, so it must
be pretty big," one of Kevin's friends told me.

I got my flashlight once more and we went back out, again finding nothing.
This time they also made me flash the light up on the main roof, seeing if
whatever it was had gone higher.  Finding nothing there, we went back
inside.  I just barely let them get back into the family room before I did
it again.  This time I didn't even have time to get out of the bathroom,
before there were a bunch of boys screaming for me.  I told them that I'd
be right out, but I gave one final hard jerk on the rope, to pull it loose
from the limb.  However, that also caused the branch to crash onto the roof
and caused another very loud banging sound, before falling to the ground.

The boys who had remained in the family room now came running out, just as
I emerged from the toilet, after flushing of course, to make it look real.
Excitedly, they began telling me they heard something on the roof again,
before urging me to go out and investigate what was causing all the noise.
This time, however, we got out several flashlights and went out as a group.
We searched the roof of the family room, the roof to the house and then
walked all around looking for this mysterious creature.  Nothing was ever
discovered, although I did manage to inconspicuously kick a thick branch up
against the side of the house, where it wouldn't be noticed, and then we
went back inside.  When the boys returned to the family room, they listened
for a while longer, but heard nothing more, so they settled down and
finally fell asleep.

After checking in on them a couple of times, I thought, 'another birthday
party was over and another gag had been successfully pulled off by Dad!'



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 34 -- A Time For Growing Up.                  

Monday came and I took all the boys to the high school.  Some wanted to
practice and the others either went to watch or play around on the
adjoining fields.  While they were busy there, I went over to my school to
do a little work, in preparation for the first day of classes.  I'd be
leaving early tomorrow to go visit Nick and his parents, so I had to cram
all the things I still needed to do into today Thursday, and Friday.
Unfortunately, I got so involved in my work that I was late picking up the
boys.

As I drove into the high school parking lot, they were all waiting, but I
quickly noted some of them had company.  It seemed that Dustin, Pat, Ricky
and Jay had met up with a group of cheerleaders and were sitting off in
another area, busily flirting and chatting with them.  I tooted the horn
and they looked in my direction, reluctantly said their good- byes, and
then ran over to get in the van with the rest of the group.  Once they were
strapped in, I took off.

On the ride home, I was preparing myself for another fun night with Kevin,
seeing Dustin was one of those flirting, but he was in a remarkably good
mood all the way home.  When we arrived, Kevin offered to help me fix
dinner and I accepted his help.  He was very efficient and concentrated on
what he was doing, occasionally joking around with me in the process.  We
continued working until we put the main course in the oven, and then we
went about preparing the vegetables and making a salad.  When everything
was completed, except for having to wait for the meal to cook, I finally
asked Kevin what was on my mind.

"You seem to be in a pretty good mood today," I told him.  "I thought you
might be upset that Dustin was with the cheerleaders when I arrived."

"Nah.  He and the others were just horsing around with them," he explained,
rather casually.  "It wasn't anything serious, just something to do until
you showed up."

"Well, I'm glad you're taking such a mature attitude about it," I informed
him, quite pleased.

"I know I can't stop him from talking to girls," he admitted, "I just have
to hope he still wants to be with me afterward.  I plan on making him
realize that later on tonight."  He gave me a wicked little grin, just
before he carried a few more items into the dining room.

Dinner was very pleasant and after we finished eating, I filled the boys in
on what was happening over the next couple of days.  "You all know I'm
leaving very early tomorrow and I'll be driving the Grand AM.  I've decided
to use it to get to the airport and then park it in long term parking, so I
won't have to bother Uncle Steve.  Aunt Sally has agreed to pick you boys
up at 10:00 tomorrow and take you to practice.  She'll bring you back home
at 1:00 and she'll be back to see if you need any help fixing dinner.

"She has also agreed to let you boys run things, unless there's a problem,
and she will be using my room.  Please, don't forget to wear clothes around
the house while she's here.  She's going to let me know how you boys do
without her help, so it's up to you whether or not I leave you on your own
the next time I have to go somewhere.  It's good to have her this time, as
none of you have your driver's licenses yet, or else you'd have some long
walks back and forth for those two days.  I just hope you realize how
important she is to this family and how much she's done or is currently
doing for you.  I want you all to treat her with the respect she deserves
for being so devoted to our family."

"Don't worry, Dad," Ricky answered.  "I think we all know what you're
getting at and we'll be on our best behavior.  Won't we, guys?"  The boys
all agreed, either verbally or by nodding their heads.

"I knew you would be, I just thought a little reminder wouldn't hurt," I
added.

"Gee, and I thought you trusted us," Trey answered, trying to look hurt.

"I do, but sometimes a little reminder is in order," I replied, even though
I knew he was just teasing.  "We all forget things at times."

"Only old fogies do," Dion said with a grin.

"Are you referring to anyone in particular?" I responded.

"No, he's just talking in general," Danny answered for him, trying to bail
his brother out, before he said something he shouldn't.  "He just means
that younger people usually have better memories."

"Good, then you'll be able to remember your curfews and restrictions, so
I'll never have to tell you twice," I countered, which immediately elicited
major groans from all around the table.

"We might forget occasionally," Brandon said, trying to make a preemptive
apology.  "He just means we wouldn't do it as often as an old person."

"An old person like me?" I asked.

"No!  Much older than you, Dad," Cole answered, looking around at his
brothers for approval.

"Yes, much older than you," Pat added, "although we've heard from our
teachers that even people over 30 can sometimes have memory problems."

"And people under 30, too," I corrected him.  "Although most of the time
that type of forgetting might be classified as selective hearing or
selective remembering.  But I don't supposed any of you would ever be
guilty of that."

The boys all looked around the table at each other before Dustin spoke.
"Do you think WE would do that?"

"You tell me.  Do you boys do that?" I followed.

There were some panicked expressions on the younger boys' faces and some
slight grins from the older ones.  "Maybe once in a while," Kevin admitted,
"but not with anything important."

"And just who decides if it is important?" I countered.

They all looked at each other, before Trey spoke up.  "I guess we all do,
sometimes.  But we really haven't done it for anything big, just sometimes
with little things, like taking care of our things or doing something when
you tell us to."

"Well, I think those things are important too," I challenged.

"We always do them," Danny told me, "just sometimes we wait a little bit
first or take longer than we need to.  But we wouldn't do that if you left
us in charge."

"I guess I can live with that ONCE IN A WHILE," I conceded, "as long as you
do those things eventually.  That's why this will be sort of a test to see
how you can manage on your own.  I told Aunt Sally you'd be taking charge,
when I asked her to help out.  So, whether or not I decide to trust you in
the future will depend on how you do this time.  Things have to be done AND
done on time.  I don't want the little ones having to wait until 8:00 or
9:00 for dinner and I want all of you getting to bed at a decent hour.
It's time for you boys to start adjusting back to your school schedules and
that means going to bed and getting up early."

"We know and we promise we will," Dustin answered for all of them.

"Yeah, you can count on us," Dion added.

"And we'll listen to them and not fight," Cole promised.

"Yes, Daddy," Andrew chimed in, "we'll listen to the older boys and do what
they tell us.  Just like we listen to you."

"Now you've gone and scared me," I responded.  The older boys let out
nervous little giggles, while the younger boys looked confused.  I decided
to reassure them.  "Okay, as long as you promise me you'll try your
hardest.  This will be the trial run to decide how I will handle any future
trips away."

"Thanks, Dad," Ricky told me.  "We won't let you down."

After dinner everyone did their own thing, but each came up at various
times during the evening, to give me a hug or a kiss, sometimes both,
before telling me to be careful, have a safe trip or have a good time.
Before they went to bed, I went to my room and double- checked my packing
and then hopped into bed to get some sleep.  I set the alarm for 4:00 a.m.,
to make certain I arrived for my flight in plenty of time.

The next morning went by in a blur.  I drove to the airport, although I
didn't remember much about making that trip, even as I sat in the airport
waiting for my flight.  After we took off, I grabbed a nap and felt much
better by the time we landed.  I had reserved a rental car, so I'd have a
vehicle to get around in during my stay.  After retrieving my luggage, I
walked directly to the rental counter in the terminal, signed the required
paperwork and then was given the keys and a map of the local area.  I
arrived at the Lawrence home just before noon.  Mrs. Lawrence answered the
door and called her husband immediately.  After we all introduced ourselves
to each other, they invited me into the living room to sit down and talk.

Nick must have heard the doorbell too, because he soon came bounding down
the stairs, all excited.  He ran into the living room and directly up to
me, giving me a major hug.  "Hi, Mr. Currie," he said timidly, when he
remembered his parents were there.  They were looking back and forth at
each other, trying to determine what that display of affection had been
about.  I think they were surprised to see their son give such a greeting
to a stranger.

"Hi, Nick.  How have you been?" I asked.

"Just fine, thanks to you," he replied.  "The O'Haras were very nice to me
and put me on the plane to come home.  I guess I was relieved to be back
and glad to see my Mom and Dad again."

"Just as it should be," I commented.

"Nicky," Mr. Lawrence interrupted, "we'd appreciate it if you left us alone
for a while, so we can get to know Mr. Currie and talk things over with
him.  We have a lot of important issues to discuss, before we decide if
we're going to let you go there to attend school."

"Why can't I be in on this too?  It is my life," he whined.  "Why can't I
be included while you're deciding things about me?"

"Because, darling," his mother began, "there are things we'd prefer to talk
about in private."

"Why?  If they are about me, I should know too.  Shouldn't I?" he counted,
much to his parents chagrin.  "Why can't I stay and be a part of this?"

"Nick," I said, looking him directly in the eyes, "would you just give us a
few minutes alone, please?  That's all we'll need.  You and I can talk
later and you can fill me in about what you did while you stayed with the
O'Haras."

Nick started to object again, but I gave him one of my 'not now' looks.
Fortunately, he took the hint.  "All right," he said, giving in, but not
without a hint of displeasure.  "I'll go up and wait in my room.  Will you
call me when I can come back down?"

"Certainly, and thank you, dear," his mother told him.  "We won't be long."
Nick left and stomped up the stairs, just another reminder he wasn't
entirely happy about being left out.

"You do have a way with children," Mr. Lawrence said to me.  "I expected
another ten or fifteen minutes of arguments from him."

"Being a principal and having a lot of boys of my own, I've had some
practice dealing with situations like that," I explained and they both
simply nodded in response.

We spent nearly an hour talking.  First, they asked me about my family and
I explained our situation briefly, from the time my own children were
little until the present.  Then they asked me questions about the area
where we lived, the school district and what other things were nearby.
Then they delved into what extracurricular activities the other boys were
into and how Nick would fit in.

I told them a great deal about the boys.  I was quite frank and explained
such details as who was on the honor roll, who had difficulty in school and
a little about what the boys were like in general.  When we finished,
Mrs. Lawrence excused herself and went out to the kitchen to make some
sandwiches and a fresh pot of coffee.  While she was busy with this,
Mr. Lawrence called Nick to join us.  He didn't race down this time, and
looked a little upset that our discussion had taken so long, but he didn't
make any comments about it.  I was pleased he made the effort.  Now that we
were all together, he escorted me into their dining room.

Nick sat down across from me as we ate lunch, but waited until we had all
finished eating, before he asked his parents a question.  "Well, can I go
to school there?"

"Nicky, we haven't decided yet, but we will," his father told him.  "It
might also take a visit to see what it's like, before I make up my mind."

"Why, you can see that Mr. Currie's a nice guy and his sons are nice too,"
Nicky challenged.

"Nick," I told him, "they just want to make sure about where you'll be
living and the school you'll be attending.  They want to know exactly what
they're agreeing to, before they make any commitments."

"I suppose, but I really want to do this," he added, making his feelings
known, although I suspected he'd already done that numerous times before I
arrived.

"We understand that, honey," his mother said reassuringly, "but Mr. Currie
is right.  We need to check everything out first.  We wouldn't send you
anywhere without knowing all about where you'd be, who you'd be with and
what you'd be doing."

"Nicky, we're not trying to control you, just protect you," his father
added.  "Whether you believe us or not, your mother and I do love you and
only want what's best for you."

Nick looked at his parents before he responded to that comment, but
eventually he did.  "I guess I might not have believed that before," Nick
told them quite frankly, "but I do now.  I know you wouldn't have even
considered this, unless you did love me."

"I might be wrong," his father commented at that point, "but I do think my
boy is growing up.  That was a very mature observation.  If that increased
maturity is due to your time with the Curries, then this might be an easier
decision than I first thought."

After saying that, Mr. Lawrence reached over and tousled Nick's hair, which
caused Nick to stand up and move closer to his dad, so he could give him a
big hug.  Then I overheard him whisper in his father's ear, "I do love you
too, Dad."

Then he walked around the table to his mother and did the same thing.  Both
of his parents fought back tears, while I observed the pride and love
reflected in their eyes.
 
After this little discussion, Nick offered to leave us alone again, so we
could talk some more.  His parents just looked at each other and thanked
him, before he went back up to his room.  When they heard the door to his
room shut, his mother looked at me and spoke.

"Are you sure you sent back OUR child?" she asked.  "That's not the same
young man who used to argue with us constantly and then ran away."

"Yes," his father agreed, "the Nicky I remember was belligerent and
unyielding.  He would never have given in like that."

"All I can tell you," I responded, "is that he's the same boy we found on
our vacation.  I learned he can be tough and put up a good front, but I
know he's not really as hard as he tries to appear."

"So I see," his father answered me, "and I assume some of that was because
of your influence.  He seems very fond of you.  I've never seen him hug
another adult before, so you must be very special."

"Not really," I answered.  "I just found him at a low point in his life,
after he discovered others had it even worse than he did.  My boys and I
are very hands-on and affectionate with each other and Nick seemed to enjoy
that type of closeness with us too.  I just think he's transferring those
traits to his home life now."

"I'm not sure I understand how he changed so quickly, but I do think it's
wonderful," his mother said, with a wide smile.  His father merely nodded
in agreement.

I went on and told them how we found Nick and how we helped the family of
the boy Nick had met and became friends with.  Some of the things seemed to
bother Mr.  Lawrence, yet some of the other things seemed to make him
proud.  He listened to the whole story, but it was a couple of minutes
before he said anything.

"I guess I haven't been totally objective about Nicky and possibly even a
little too rough on him.  I guess I let his being gay bother me so much
that I never saw what a warm, affectionate and caring person he really was.
Maybe our problems with him were more my fault than his.  I'm not sure I'd
have realized that without your help though."

"Yes," Mrs. Lawrence added, "thank you for bringing our son back to us."

"I didn't do anything and I'm sure you would have discovered these things
eventually," I added, trying to alleviate a little of the guilt they were
feeling now.  After all, they had just come to some important realizations
too, and I didn't want anything negating that.

"Maybe, but how long would it have taken us?" his father wondered aloud.
"No, you helped bring about a change in him and an awareness in us.  We do
owe you for that."

"Possibly, but I doubt it," I countered.  "I believe your time apart
actually gave you an opportunity to reevaluate things and look at them from
a different perspective.  I believe this would have happened with or
without me, if given the time."

"You may be right, but I doubt it, mostly because I know how stubborn both
Nicky and I can be," his father admitted.  "Seeing this miraculous change
in him, I'm very tempted to go along with the rest of your suggestions too.
What if we fly out to your place this weekend, with Nicky, to check the
situation out?  We'll bring enough of his things to tide him over, so if we
do decide to let him stay, he'll be ready.  We would ship his other things
to you, as soon as we returned.  Would that meet with your approval?"

"Of course.  That would be fine," I agreed.

"Fantastic!  Then let's have Nicky join us," his mother suggested.  "That
way, we can tell him what's going on."

"Good idea," his father concurred.

His mother went upstairs, knocked on his door and soon returned with her
son.  It didn't take them long to fill Nick in about what they had planned,
which rocketed Nicky into an exuberant celebration.  He began hugging and
kissing both of his parents and then came over and hugged me too.  Now we
had the rest of the time to just get to know each other better, so the
Lawrences agreed to show me around Oklahoma City and give me the royal
treatment.


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